


Right People , Wrong Time

by borikenbabe



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eren Yeager/You - Freeform, Eren admits to being a total hypocrite, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Past Rape/Non-con, Possessive Behavior, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Slow Burn, Top Eren Yeager, reader had a bad childhood
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:09:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28724874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/borikenbabe/pseuds/borikenbabe
Summary: College life could not be any more difficult. Merit-based scholarships don’t pay for food or rent, which you have to make up for yourself. You wonder if you and God have some unresolved beef after He has the nerve to allow some kid passed out on the side of the road to enter your life amidst your two jobs and medical school.
Relationships: Eren Yeager & Reader
Kudos: 18





	1. A Strange Kid

**Author's Note:**

> please note that the reader is biologically female! i'll try to keep the reader as vague as possible when it comes to appearance and such. however, there are some things exclusive to this character. for context, the reader is a nursing student at NYU, living independently in New York City.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You find a boy passed out beside the store you work in and decide to help him.

_12:59 PM_

You stare blankly at the clock on the screen that's usually used to take orders from customers, not stare at the time. You close at 1:00 AM. Your shitty manager decided to leave you, a measly subordinate, to close the shop. It was very much against the rules, but out of the many things you have, the energy to argue is not one of them. It's not on the dot, but you clock out anyway. It's not like they'd notice anyway. The tables are wiped, the coffee machines are clean, and the cups are stacked for the poor sucker that has to open the next morning.

With the door locked, you stumble out of the door with your keys in hand, ready to go home and pass out on your bed. Despite how shitty your 2013 Nissan Versa was, it was bright as hell, perhaps adding to the shittiness. The blinkers had a tendency to light up brighter than the fucking sun when you pressed the unlock button. Those lights, you were accustomed to. What you were not accustomed to was even **more** flashes of light after the fact, removing any chance it had of being your car deciding to surprise you with a heart attack.

_It couldn't have been a shooting star_ , you thought to yourself. No star-pretending comet was that bright on its decent.

You might get kidnapped today, but you decide to investigate anyway. If something had caught your attention this much before you even had the chance to get inside your car, it must be worth checking out. You lock the car again and make your way towards where you estimated the source of the light had landed: in some bushes beside the drive-through section of the store.

The faint rustling startled you, and you prayed to whatever God was up there (if there even was one) that it was a lizard or squirrel simply passing through. Your prayers were for naught since it seems your nonexistent God hates your guts. By the bushes, creeping out scarily close to the main road, was a man. A teenager, barely visible if one weren't intentionally looking for someone. You take out your phone and use the flashlight to get a closer look. He had long, brown hair and was covered with a black jacket. Scars lined his cheeks a little too deeply, and you had to wonder if they were recent or not. Whoever this boy was, he did not look well, noted by the fact that he was laying in a dark bush with smoke fuming from his body. You would have considered calling the police had this boy not suddenly shot up in his spot, causing you to stumble backward in shock.

"What the fuck?!" You yell instinctively. Not the brightest idea as he now was sure of your existence, staring back at you with just as much surprise.

A breath. A second.

Everything is still. You're both evaluating the situation, watching, waiting.

"Um, are you okay?" You ask hesitantly, growing weary of the tension. The man only looks, taking deep breaths with wide eyes. You swore you'd never seen such pretty green eyes. They were full of life, and besides the scars and the smoke, he didn't seem drunk or high.

"Where am I?"

"So you do speak."

The man's expression contorts into one of annoyance. You couldn't understand it. After all, he was the stranger lying half-dead in a Starbucks drive-through. Still, you answered as to not further provoke him.

"Right now, we're in Brooklyn."

"Is that a place in Marley?"

"Marley?" You tilt your head. "Sorry, I don't know of any place called Marley. We're in New York."

Unsatisfied with this response, the stranger shifts his gaze to your surroundings. He seems enamored by the surrounding buildings and lights. You couldn't help but admire his innocence. Nighttime Brooklyn was nowhere near as bright as Manhattan. Since the man did not seem adamant on making conversation, you decide to approach a little more to see if he was willing to accept your help. You turn off your flashlight and place your phone in your pocket in order to reach both of your hands out to him. Though reluctant, he accepts your help and carefully steps out of the car.

"What year is it?"

You pause. Only time-travelers in movies ask that question, and this surely was no movie. Even if it were, you wouldn't want any part in it. You were perfectly content living a quiet life. Yet, here you are, being thrust into the position of the main character.

No, maybe he's just confused and wants to ground himself. You did that many times when you were in the middle of a panic attack. Surely, it was too early to make such a hasty judgment.

"2021. Hopefully, this year will be better than the last.” You expect a dry chuckle or a witty remark in return, but you get neither. Instead, the man gives you a furrowed brow and confused look, as if to ask what the hell you meant. There are so many words in the English language, and you cannot string enough of them together to express how confused you are as well.

  
“This isn’t right,” He hisses in frustration, “I fucked up.”

”What do you mean? Do you even remember how you got here?”

The man pauses for a second, processing the question, before responding, “No...I don’t. I don’t know how I got here or why. I don’t know anything.”

You consider just calling the police or an ambulance. Emerald eyes have encased you completely, however, and despite how much you condemn yourself for letting a pretty boy cloud your common sense, you can’t help but to keep offering your help. This is what you want to do. Help others. If you can’t even bring yourself to help a confused kid, what even is the point of being in medical school?

“I-It’s okay. Um, are you hurt? I’m a nurse—“

”You have to help me.” He grabs your shoulders suddenly. You shrink in response, eyes immediately going wide in fear. Sensing he has caused an unwanted reaction, he softens his grip.

”You have to help me, please.”

His eyes lock directly with yours. You see those emotions you know so well: fear, confusion, and panic. Though his grip is fairly stern, his arms shake and his breathing is irregular. His heart must be going a thousand miles an hour.

Without thinking, you nod your head. There’s no time to question your decision.

“I’m (Y/N). I have an apartment in Manhattan. You can stay for the night and we’ll figure something out in the morning. “

  
“Eren.”

He lets go of you slowly, his face now deadpanned. You lead him back to your car, rethinking the entire scene on the short walk. What in the hell did you get yourself into?


	2. A Whole New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bits of Eren's personality begin to sprinkle in, and you are not amused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorta short chapter?? idk how long a chapter should be to be considered acceptable lmao. i feel like it's going a little slow, but it is,, a slow burn. the next chapter will def have a lot more dialogue. i'm also exploring formatting styles, so i'm sorry if the formats seem inconsistent in the upcoming chapters. thanks for reading!

The entire ride home, Eren stared out the window in amazement. Manhattan tended to be a bit of an eye-sore, but to newcomers, it was a brighter and much more colorful world. You chalked it up to him being a tourist. However, his questions did not approve of this conclusion. It became annoying at some point. _Who doesn't know what a fucking 7/11 is?!_ You would think to yourself. You reasoned he was from a foreign country; he had very German-ish features and New York did attract all types of people. Yet, he spoke English perfectly with no accent, and surely Germany had convenience stores.

Between the questions and the frantic deductions, you were home much faster than it would normally take. You parked in your car in the designated spot (a rare luxury in the city) and began walking up the steps. Eren followed closely, his eyes scanning the premises as if someone were to attack out of nowhere.

"Home sweet home," You sighed sarcastically once you finally made it inside the apartment. You flicked the lights on, much to Eren's surprise, and casually walked in. The apartment was small but well-cleaned. Messes made you anxious, and you were already living on a college budget. The lifestyle was not suited for you.

"Thank you," Eren mumbled, eyes now glued shyly to the floor. Odd. You didn't take him to be the timid kind.

"You hungry? I got, uh...noodles."

With a tilt of his head, "I'm good. I'm honestly just tired."

You held your breath. There was one thing you may have forgotten to mention to the boy. One bed. Contemplating your options, you simply sighed in defeat. This kid was hurt and confused. Besides, you had a tendency to find the most comfortable spot in your apartment, whether that be the kitchen counter or the floor, and pass out.

"My room is right there." You pointed to the only other door in the apartment. "Bathroom's inside too. You can sleep there and I'll sleep on the couch."

Eren furrowed his brows. It seemed to be a sort of quirk of his. He shook his head in disapproval, "I'm already taking advantage of your kindness, I wouldn't want to kick you out of your bed too. I'll sleep on the couch."

"Eren, you're hurt. At least for the night, you can sleep on a bed."

"We can sleep on the bed together then."

You almost choked on your own spit. Who in the hell did this idiot think he was? He passed out on some bushes, asked far too many questions, and now he wanted to sleep in **your** bed with **you**. You outright scoffed at his boldness, intending that to be your response. Unfortunately, Eren was not one to back down so easily.

"What's the problem? Do I smell?" He raised an eyebrow.

"No. It's just not appropriate. I don't know where you come from, but strangers don't normally just sleep with each other all willy nilly."

"Sounds to me like you're just scared."

"Scared of what?!"

He shrugged nonchalantly.

That's it! Who does this fucker think he is? You might be a broke nurse with a shitty apartment in the most expensive city in America, but your mother sure as hell did not raise a pussy. With a huff, you grab Eren's arm and lead him towards the bedroom. Out of the corner of your eye, you spot a gentle smile on his face. You were sure you just fell for his little trick, but you didn't care. You weren't one to pass up a challenge.

"Just...get in bed," You grumbled, "I need to change out of my work clothes."

Eren nodded and obediently sat on the bed. You walk into the bathroom and lock the door behind you, just in case the kid you picked up was a pervert.

Finally, some time alone. You stretch your shirt over your arms and toss it in the laundry basket. A slightly dusty mirror sits on top of the sink, offering an unwelcoming view of your tired body. Strands of hair poke out unbecomingly from your head and eyebags rest at the bottom of your eyelids. There have definitely been better versions of you. That'll all be over soon, though. You'll graduate and you can get a real job at a big hospital and you'll make enough money to sustain yourself. All you need is to be patient, and then your real life can begin.

After what seemed like ages of staring at your flaws, you're interrupted from your trance by Eren's voice calling out for you. You chuckle to yourself and finish getting ready for bed. Opening the bathroom door, you're met with the godly image of a half-naked, absolutely shredded man, laying oh so casually on your bed. This couldn't have been the same kid that was standing so gingerly on your doorstep just a second ago. That's the type of body you only see in those calendars featuring hot firefighters. You don't know how many more times you can hold your breath, and this time, your face was cherry red.

Eren blinked. He was unresponsive to your clear embarrassment. Whether it was intentional or not was up for debate.

You meekly hop onto the (did you mention small) bed, feeling as if you're gonna faint every time your bare skin accidentally makes contact with his. Amidst your improper thoughts, you notice Eren had more scars across his chest and abdomen. Some were small, and some ranged so large that they could only be caused by a deep story. Eren clears his throat, indirectly announcing his awareness of your concerned stares. You shift uncomfortably and turn your back to him, quickly placing the blanket over your head.

"You're a strange boy." You clear your throat.

"Huh? Why say that all of a sudden?"

"You appear out of nowhere in a strange place, immediately plead for my assistance, and now you're laying shirtless on my bed. I think I deserve some sort of gratitude."

Eren hums silently. He ponders your statement. A part of him is guilty, feeling as if he's using this random girl to help himself. However, you chose to do that yourself, and he wasn't about to blame himself for you choosing to use your freedom how you saw fit. However, you were right in that your kindness deserved some kind of reward. He just wasn't sure what he could provide other than a pathetic "thank you." This silence lasted longer than he expected, and by the time he knew what to say, you had already fallen asleep. Eren turned in a similar fashion, your backs now pressed against each other.

Hopefully, the morning will bring more answers.


	3. A New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren struggles to understand the modern world .

Early morning light managed to sneak past the curtains and grace your face . _I really need to get blackout curtains ._ You didn’t have class today , which is why waking up to the blissful rays of the sun was much preferred to your startling . For just a few moments , the events of yesterday had been completely erased from your mind , allowing you brief paradise .

That is , before you heard the rustling in the kitchen .

You shot up in your bed , a thousand scenarios running through your head before memories began flooding in . Taking a look to the empty space beside you on the bed , you confirmed it was Eren probably rummaging through your drawers for breakfast .

Sigh . Why did it have to be you who got stuck taking care of this idiot ? Not only are you extending your kindness far more than you should be , you’re allowing some stranger to eat up all your food and sleep in your bed . You promised yourself that you wouldn’t allow anyone to ever go through what you did so many years ago , but was this a little too much ?

It was too early for theorizing . You hopped out of your bed and made your way to the kitchen , spotting Eren staring into the fridge with wide eyes . His hair was neatly tied back and body showed no signs of sleep deprivation . In a dark contrast , your hair was visibly tangled , eyes half-lidded with your posture slumped as if begging to rest once more .

” Eren . “ You groaned .

” Oh ! “ He turned to face you . “ Good morning . I’m sorry , I was hungry but I didn’t want to wake you . " 

You offer the boy a forgiving smile , gently patting his shoulder . With Eren being the way he was right now , you highly doubted he should cook , or even knew how to .

” Sit down , I’ll make something . “

In lighter spirits , Eren giddily sat on the kitchen table .

" What would you like ? "

" What do you have ? " 

" Uh . “ You scanned your cabinets. “ Poptarts ? "

Eren stared at you with a blankly . One would’ve guessed you just told him pigs could fly with the look he was giving you .

” Have you ever . . . tried poptarts ? “ You ask hesitantly .

Eren shyly shook his head . You wondered if it really was possible he could be Amish . It’d explain a lot , but not enough .

Not needing any further explanation , you grabbed the box from the pantry and popped some in a toaster . Eren watched you move gracefully throughout the kitchen , paying extra attention any time you used any appliances . In a minute or so , the poptarts . . . well , popped out of the toaster . Eren jumped subtly in surprise and narrowed his eyes . You take the treat out , hissing as you struggle to touch it fresh out . Finally , you put on a plate and pass it to Eren with a warning of caution to not burn himself .

You couldn’t help but watch Eren as he too hissed upon touching the poptart despite the warning . After it cooled down , he bit down with a delighted hum . Personally , you weren’t a big fan of poptarts , but you could tell this was probably the sweetest thing Eren had ever tasted .

As he ate , Eren shifted his gaze to the toaster and mumbled , ” That thing you used . . . what is it ? “

” My toaster ? “ You raised an eyebrow . “ It’s pretty old , honestly . I’ve been meaning to get an air fryer since toasters are basically useless now , but it’s pretty expensive . For me , anyway . “

The boy seemed amazed at the idea that a toaster of all things could be considered ‘ old . ‘ He looked down and continued chewing in silence .

Awkwardly fumbling with your thumbs , you continued , “ So . . . we should probably get you some clothes . Do you know your size ? “

” I always had my clothes sewn for me . “

Siiiiiiigh .

” That’s fine . You’re probably a medium ; all men are medium . “ You roll your eyes . “ Once you’re done , we can head to a GoodWill and you can pick stuff out . “

” GoodWill . . . that’s a funny name for a store . “

” Well , it makes sense . They sell thrifted items for a really low price out of good will . “

” What’s thrifted mean ? “

” . . . “

—————

After suffering through Manhattan traffic , you finally arrive at your destination . It was still fairly early in the morning so the store was yet to be bustling with life . Perfects for introverts .

You took Eren inside and you swore he might as might as well have had a stroke . _I know some colors are reserved for royalty only , but that was like 2,000 years ago ._ With a tired sigh , you grab Eren's hand and begin leading him through the color - coded rows of cheap clothes . The intention was to grab some a shirt , a pair of jeans , and maybe some shoes if they had any . However , Eren seemed adement on trying out half of the store , almost like a tween figuring out their style for the new school year . Your attempts at explaining why he couldn't just try the clothes on out in public even if the dressing rooms were closed was like explaining to a child why they couldn't fetch their toast out with a fork . The boy was amazed by the tiniest of curiousities and it grew tiring very quickly . Luckily , he didn't make a fuss when told to keep his mask on . 

Sitting on a small bench provided by the store , you took to watching Eren skim through the thrifted books . He could read , to your relief , but it seemed he was never allowed any interesting books . Slim pages slipped past Eren's fingers , only gifting him with the bare minimum before he would return the book to its place and pick a new fantasy novel to gaze at .

" I only ever dreamt of other worlds . " He suddenly piped up , " I would've never imagined people would write about them . There's a whole series of books about a boy who lives in a land of magic and spells ! " 

Eager eyes met yours , the tiniest of smiles ( though not visible to you ) creeping on his cheeks as he faced you while he spoke . You held your breath , completely infatuated with his innocence without even wanting to be .

" I didn't take you for a bookworm . " You teased .

" Oh . . . " Eren quickly glanced away and you caught a glimpse of cherry red on his face . " N - no . That's my friend , Armin . The books he always read were of science and arts though . These books are - " 

" You have friends ?! " 

Silence ensued your bluntness . Realizing what you had just blurted out , you stared at Eren with wide eyes , unsure of how to proceed . For a few seconds , Eren only stared back with a blank look . Soon , though , his expression darkened , almost comedically on queue .

" I'm sorry ! I didn't mean it like that !! " 

" Geez , am I that annoying ? " Eren scoffed , but you could tell he wasn't as pffended as he made himself out to be .

" I just mean ,, you don't seem to remember anything . For a minute , I thought you had complete amnesia . Regardless , if you have friends , that means they're probably looking for you . This is great ! We can go to the police and see if there are any missing person reports for you . " 

Admitadly , you were being a little to hopeful . Eren had supposedly only been gone for a day , and if this behavior was common , it was unlikely his friends would notice already . Even so , Eren casted his gaze down to the floor somberly . You could take a hint .

" Uhm , let's worry about that later , okay ? If you're not going to pick out a book , we can go ahead and leave with the clothes you've already picked out . " You gestured to the bundle of solid - colored shirts and jeans that had been folded neatly over your arm . Eren nodded quickly , also wanting to escape the situation you had created .

The line was short and you paid in card , another process Eren payed his close attention to . This only meant you were due another round of explanations of the modern world . The cashier handed you back your clothes , now in a plastic bag , which you immediately made Eren carry . He didn't seem too annoyed , even when you had pushed the bag into his face , indirectly telling him to carry his own shit . You had only been together for a day , and it already seemed to you like Eren was becoming attached . That , or he simply didn't want to make a fuss with the person who was giving him food , clothes , and a shelter . Smart .

As you walked out of the store with the boy tagging behind you like a puppy , you felt your phone buzz in the pocket of your leggings ( extremely awesome that your leggings have pockets , if you may add ) .

" Where are we going next ? " Eren asks , watching as you read the new text on your screen .

" . . . Shit . "


End file.
